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 4.85 (Highly recommend) from 13 votes (158 Visits) |
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Laughter - Good medicine & Good Exercise |
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Anonymous Author (January 2007) |
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I’ve heard so many times how laughter is good medicine for the soul… how it benefits those coping with a major illness & helps relieve the stress associated with life’s problems. Researchers now say that laughter can bring balance to all the components of the immune system…
What a wonderful weapon to help us fight off disease!
When we laugh, the brain causes us to preform a set of gestures & produce a sound simultaneously. Many parts of our body respond including the arm, leg & trunk muscles plus at least fifteen facial muscles contract. The average adult laughs around 17 times a day.
It is said that laughter is actually a complex response that involves many of the same skills used in solving problems
Laughter reduces the levels of certain stress hormones It’s like a safety valve that swings into action in our bodies when we experience stress, anger or hostility giving us the ability to overcome that fight-or-flight instinct that so often arises when these hormones are released.
These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets which can cause obstructions in arteries & cause blood pressure to rise. When we laugh, natural killer cells that destroy tumors & viruses increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter may lead to hiccuping & coughing, which clears the respiratory tract by dislodging mucous plugs. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
This I love… Researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body workout! Our blood pressure is lowered; there is an increase in vascular blood flow & in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. Our diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg & back muscles are all given a workout. That's why we often feel exhausted after a long bout of laughter. We’ve just had an aerobic workout! That’s the type of work out I like… give me some of those old comedies on the TV & a few good friends to share them with & I’ll stick to my workout for sure!
I like being able to harmlessly release negative emotions, including anger, sadness & fear, when I laugh rather than expressing them.
It’s great being able to go & see a funny movie or have a friend who makes you laugh when you’re going through things. Negative emotions held inside, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies… I try to clear OUT the old & replace it with the NEW… fun, laughter, good health…Holding on to the past only hurts me & gives power to those who hurt me in the beginning.
Tips to help you put more laughter in your life:
- Figure out what makes you laugh and do / read / watch it more often.
- Find friends that have a sense of humour… friends who are able to make you laugh & spend time with them every chance you get.
- Develop your own sense of humour. Not every topic has to be serious… look to the funny side & express it… You may be pleasantly surprised by what happens
- Be funny every chance you get -- as long as it's not at someone else's expense!
These days they talk about "Laughter therapy," which teaches people how to laugh -- openly -- at things that aren't usually funny & to cope in difficult situations by using humour. If you can’t find a breakthrough to a more light hearted approach to life, consider finding out if there’s a laughter therapy group near you & join.
